Patients Reveal the Most Awkward Doctor Visit They’ve Ever Had

Nobody knows when sickness knocks on the door. But when it does, we must take precautions by seeking medication to ensure we are healthy. But some of those doctor visits have turned out to be memorable experiences for some people.

On Reddit, these patients openly shared their encounters during doctor’s appointments, capturing the interest of fellow Redditors. While some of these anecdotes are hilarious, others are not-so-funny. Here’s what they had to say.

Comments have been edited for grammar and clarity.

1. Blue-Handed Patient’s Unusual Condition Turned To Be Blue Jeans

u/raybanomics: Not me, but my roommate went to the doctor because his hands were turning blue. He was born premature and has always had horrible circulation. So he goes to the doctor, who is so puzzled about what’s happening that she calls to consult other doctors.

She returns to the room with alcohol swabs, and the blue starts coming off. Apparently, he had not washed his new jeans, and the ink kept rubbing off on his hands every time he put them in his pocket.

2. Going Commando Led to an Awkward Encounter

u/olialm1: I had my physical examination and forgot to wear underwear. I pretty much go commando all the time unless I’m wearing a short dress, so when my doctor told me to “put the gown on but keep your bra and underwear on,” I facepalmed.

When he went to lift my gown so he could feel around on my stomach, I turned bright red and said, “I’m not wearing underwear,” to which he responded by giving me this weird look.

3. When a Cough Turned into a Burp

u/kev0h: Way back when I was in peewee football, I had to go for a sports physical. I was pretty young then. When the doctor told me to turn my head and cough, I panicked because I hadn’t coughed in a while, so instead, I burped.

4. The Doctors Clashed over Shorter Limb

u/epona92: My left leg is slightly shorter than my right leg (approx. 1.5 cm, so nothing too drastic), and when I was younger, I had to see a specialist because I also had scoliosis.

The doctor was older and German and had three international interns: one from South Africa, one from Mexico, and one from China.

After taking x-rays, the German doctor returned and informed me that my right leg was shorter than my left, pointing to the hip displacement in the x-ray. I corrected him, but he insisted that my right leg was shorter.

The South African came to my defense and pointed out that he was looking at the X-ray backward. The German doctor didn’t believe any of it, and their argument got so heated that the Mexican and Chinese doctors excused themselves.

5. The Motorcycle Mishap Became a Timeless Family Tale

u/TheOnlyOne87: I was about five years old at the time. We had a big field beside our house where my two older brothers and I rode our mini motorcycle around. Anyway, I crashed the bike and cut my leg open pretty badly.

So, I was taken to the local doctor for stitches. He pulled down my little trousers, and I wasn’t wearing any underwear. Twenty years later, I still have the scar on my leg. And my lack of underwear is still a regular family anecdote.

6. The Unexpected Encounter with Doctor Who Compared Me to John Cusack

u/BosskHogg: A few years back, I ended up getting the flu. My wife took me to a 24-hour emergency clinic near our house. The doctor on duty was in her mid-30s and kind of cute.

My wife was in the waiting room, and I was with the doctor in a patient room when the doctor turned to me and said, “You look just like John Cusack” (which I do).

I told her I get that all the time, but she kept repeating it, and she began sounding creepy. So I’m lying on the bed, trying my hardest not to pass out, and the doctor begins playing with my hair, talking about John Cusack before my wife walks in.

7. Baby Talk Blunder: The OB’s Humorous Comment

u/LuckieMotor: When I was newly pregnant with my daughter, I was at my OB’s office for a pelvic exam. After I stirrup up, my doctor checks my vagina and says, “Oh, you’ll be fine if you have a big baby; there’s PLENTY of room in here.”

I’m sure she meant that I have a wide pelvic arch and would have no trouble with a vaginal delivery, but what I heard was something entirely different.

8. My Comment Turned To Be a Compliment

u/pickanotherusername: I was ten when I was taken to the emergency room with a ruptured appendix. They had trouble diagnosing my problem and sent me in for an enema. The doctor was doing his thing. So I said, “You must be the least popular doctor in the hospital.” He responded,” I don’t get many thank-you cards.”

9. An Awkward Encounter with an Attractive Doctor

u/FruitF***ing: Well, it’s not that awkward, but it was April Fool’s Day, and right before I went to class, I decided to go dominate the toilet. To my surprise, the toilet paper was all red.

By this time, I’m freaking out going to the doctor, thinking I bled out of my butt. I go to an urgent care and pay my $100 fee. A very attractive doctor has me bend over to look at my buttocks. That was the awkward part for me.

She says I’m probably okay if I didn’t feel any pain. An hour later, I’m sitting at home wondering if I’m going to die. I realized the night before I got very drunk, smoked, and ate a whole bag of flaming hot Cheetos to myself. Turns out that eating a bunch of those turns your poop red.

10. I Thought Taste Buds Were Something Else

u/va_bene: I had a sore throat, and when I tried to get a good look at it in the mirror, I noticed these large, pink spots all over the very back of my tongue.

I spent a week fretting over it, wondering what they were and why they weren’t going away until my mom worried enough that she went with me to my doctor.

Upon examining my throat and tongue, he pronounced what I saw were my taste buds. I have never seen my doctor, an incredibly stoic man, smile so wide. My family is never going to let me live it down.

11. A Fart Mishap Left the Doctor Asking Questions

u/FearlessEyes: I went to the doctor when I was about eight months pregnant. At that point in my pregnancy, I was VERY gassy, and if I tried to hold it in, it would get painful after a while.

While I was sitting in the doctor’s office, I felt like I had to fart. I held it in for a while, thinking that if I did fart, the doctor would be in at any moment. Fifteen minutes passed, and nothing.

So I decided to let it go. The tiniest little fart ever, but it stunk really bad. Thirty seconds later, the doctor walked in and asked me what that smell was.

12. This Took a Different Turn

u/PalmerKid: When I turned 30, I suddenly became a hypochondriac. I thought that EVERYTHING was cancer or worse. So, I’m seeing my doctor for an annual physical, and I mentioned that I was having some pains in the left side of my chest.

I asked, “I know this is rare, but could it be breast cancer?” (I’m male, btw). The doctor checked around seriously and then, with a straight face, asked me, “Does the pain hurt worse when you have your period?” That was pretty much the end of my year of hypochondria.

13. The Awkward Hug Fail

u/AnalogDigit2: I hadn’t seen my doctor in over a year, and he met me outside the examination room before I went in. He spread his arms, and I was a little surprised.

I started to move in for a hug before he stepped back a little and made a clearer indication that he was just politely gesturing me to enter the room before him. Sheepfaced, I put my head down and marched into the room.

14. The Hospital Visit Turned Emotional

u/lieshy: I had a full-fledged panic attack when they sent me to the “renal” unit at the hospital. I cried for an hour because I didn’t want a bum exam. The best part of the story? I was seventeen years old. I should probably have paid more attention in class, I guess.

15. My Sports Injuries Turned to a Normal Conversation

u/KakunaUsedHarden: So, not a particular incident, but I get a lot of sports injuries that hurt so bad until I see a doctor. But the appointment ends with a normal conversation anytime I visit the doctor.

I say, “It hurts so much!.” The doctor responds, “Does it hurt when I do this?” I reply, “No.” Despite additional pressure and questioning, I consistently say it does not hurt. The doctor concludes, “I think you’ll be fine.”

16. I Accidentally Kissed the Doctor’s Hand

u/reedyforkmike: I took my son (one year old) to the doctor to get checked out for an ear infection. He got upset as the doctor examined him. I’m holding him on my lap the entire time, whispering in his ear and trying to keep him calm.

As the doctor goes to look in his ear, I comfort my son by kissing his head. Unfortunately, the doctor had just placed his hand there to hold him in place.

I gently press my lips right on the guy’s hand! I pulled away, didn’t say a word, and we both pretended like it never happened.

17. From Giggles to Gas

u/[deleted]: I had pimples on my face when I was about fourteen and looked like a human pizza. My mom took me to the doctor, and everything started normally.

The doctor was an oldish lady in her 50s; she seemed nice. Then something made me lose it when she started making hand gestures to her crotch, saying. “Do you get any pains around here?”

You can probably guess what would happen; with the sense of humor of a fourteen-year-old, I started laughing so hard I tried to stop myself by coughing. But the coughs caused me to fart.

18. The Holiday Hymns Added a Merry Twist to Gynecologist Visit

u/gummbee: I’m a student, so I always make my appointments for winter break. For the season, they play Christmas songs throughout the office.

Near the end of my appointment, it was time for my pap smear test. I climb on the table and open wide when a choir begins singing, “Oh, Come all the faithful.”

19. The Quirky Dentist’s Chair That Gave Me Giggles

u/doh_ramey: I’ve never done anything incredibly embarrassing, but there is one thing that gives me anxiety about going to the dentist. I don’t mind them fiddling around with my mouth, and I can stand the twinges, scrapes, and more.

The problem is that when the dentist/hygienist pumps the chair lever, it rises in little jumps. I can’t help it, so I start to giggle. I know it was cute when I was six, but now I’m twenty-six, making me look very strange.

20. Wisdom Teeth Aftermath

u/WhiskeyandWine: I was under anesthesia after having my wisdom teeth removed. While waiting for my ride in the not-so-empty lobby, I vaguely remember seeing someone else with a bunch of gauze hanging out of their mouth; seeing this, I started to laugh at them.

Sure enough, my friend arrived to see me laughing at myself in the mirror. My friend asked the receptionist if I was alright, to which she responded, “Oh yeah, he has been like that for more than five minutes now.”

21. The Day a ‘Zit’ Took Center Stage

u/bad_pie: I had a small lump on the side of my chin. I thought maybe it was a pimple. It was there for a few months, so I got nervous and went to the doctor.

He looks at it for a few seconds and then squeezes it hard. It Hurt pretty bad. Turns out it was a zit. When it popped, he said, “Woah! It hit the wall!” Then, pointing at the wall, he says, “We’ll sanitize that later.”

22. This Was Embarrasing

u/goat_on_a_pole: I was getting ready for a BBQ/pool party. Changed into my swimsuit, put clothes over it, and I was doing chores before I left home. My face started feeling numb, and I was getting a headache.

I called the advice nurse, who told me to call for an ambulance. Paramedics came, transported me to the hospital, checked in to the ER, did an exam, CT scan, and labs, and they found nothing. They decided to discharge me to follow up with my regular doctor.

While waiting for discharge paperwork, I sit on a hospital bed in the hall. My neck is aching from my halter-top swimsuit, holding my boobs up, so I pull the strap over my head to relieve the pressure.

And then it hits me; I’m fairly large-chested, and my halter-top swimsuit was pinching a nerve in my neck and causing all the symptoms. I was too embarrassed to tell the doctor or nurses.

23. The Beetroot Smoothie That Freaked Me Out

u/Fartweaver: Valentine’s Day, 2019. I went to the toilet in the morning and noticed there was a lot of blood and immediately made an emergency appointment. My doctor is a 60-something-year-old woman, and she says to me, “You realize you can’t tell me something like that without me having to take a closer look.”

I’m lying sideways on the bed, my knees tucked up and my pants pulled down. The doctor applies ice-cold lubricant and starts to conduct a procedure inside my buttocks, and I make the awkward remark, “You haven’t even taken me out to dinner yet.” Dead silence.

“Nothing wrong as far as I can see,” she tells me before adding, “Have you eaten anything like beetroot recently?” I immediately remember the beetroot juice smoothie I had drunk the day before, but I’m too embarrassed to admit to it, so I lie. Worst Valentine’s Day ever.

24. Gynecologist Visit Took an Uncomfortable Route

u/GargleHemlock: When I went for a pelvic exam, my gynecologist was rummaging around down there and suddenly asked me if I’d ever been to the Grand Canyon. It was so awkward and embarrassing.

25. I Mistook Air Freshener for Ear Freshener

u/NowCanBeLoudAndProud: I was five years old, not too bright, and thought Air Freshener was EAR Freshener. So I plugged the end of a Febreze into my ear and let loose.

I made it to the second ear before I realized I messed up. The burning pain and damaged my eardrums from the pressure; how could this day get any worse?

I made it to the ER, and my father was freaking out, thinking I’d gone deaf, and he was demanding why nobody was helping us and staring at the TVs. It was September 11, 2001, and I thought I was having a bad day.

26. An Expensive Mistake That Cost My Ears

u/siobhanbacan: This was the most embarrassing doctor visit, as I’ve had pretty terrible luck with medical professionals in general. I had a recurring/constant ear infection for probably around eight months.

I did a televisit with a new primary, and he prescribed antibiotics and said if it didn’t clear up, I’d have to go to the ENT. I finished the round, and my ear cleared for a little bit but then returned to fully messed up.

I ended up on another round of antibiotics for an unrelated incident, and it was the same story. We have a long wait time for doctors and specialists where I live, so many months after my ear infection had started, I went to the ENT.

He quickly looks into my ear and leads me to another room. He has me lay on my side and pulls out a hearing aid dome that apparently had fallen off and gotten stuck there.

He also waited to pull the thing out before telling me the problem; I’m guessing for the drama/amusement factor. I was embarrassed since I had lost a dome, but I figured it had fallen out somewhere and not into my ear.

The timeline of the two incidents never connected for me, so I never pieced it together as an option for what might be wrong.

He tried to reassure me that it happens pretty often, but then he had to throw in that usually it happened to elderly patients, and I was probably the youngest person he had pulled one out of. All this could have been avoided if I didn’t have a telehealth appointment in the first place.

27. My Desire to Look like a Pirate Ended Badly

u/polaris2acrux: When I was about thirteen, I got one of my little sister’s earrings stuck in my ear. I had been watching a documentary about pirates and decided I wanted to look like one and have an earring on one ear.

Somehow, it ended up inside my ear canal rather than on my earlobe. And while trying to get it out, I pushed it in deeper to the point that I couldn’t get it out. So we had to go to urgent care.

I was embarrassed to tell my parents, let alone a doctor, how and why it happened as I was old enough to know that it was a pretty ridiculous story: “I wanted to look like a pirate, and I pushed this tiny metal sticker deep in my ear because I was watching TV at the same time as trying to put the sticker on”

28. This Wouldn’t Have Happened If I Only Knew

u/Freikorp: I was pretty young and had never swallowed a pill before; my only experience with anything pill-like was Flinstone vitamins. I was in there with my mom and was given a Tylenol and a cup of water; I guess no one imagined I had never taken a pill before.

So I immediately popped it in my mouth, vigorously chewed it, and then immediately threw up from the bitter taste. My reaction was surprise and confusion. The doctor said, “You just swallow them with the water.” I felt like an idiot.

29. A Hilarious Hospital Blunder

u/tdmmnnl: I was about 15 and at the hospital, laying on that short table waiting for the doctor. I couldn’t figure out why that dumb table was so short and tried to find a way to make it longer.

Well, I realized these fancy leg extensions were at the end of the table, so I pulled them out and waited. The doctor came in, started laughing hysterically, and asked me what kind of examination I wanted.

I didn’t realize what I had done until 20 years later when I went to the doctor with my wife. Kind of a delayed embarrassment!

I probably should include the part about the look I had on my face 20 years later when it all came to me and I figured out what happened! I am sure my wife was puzzled as to why I was laughing so hard while her checkup was done!

30. My Constipation Turned To Be a Laughing Stock

u/DAM5150: I went to the ER for stomach pains, worried about my appendix, spleen, gall bladder, etc. Turns out I was constipated. My brother humorously recounts the incident, joking that the one time I sought medical attention, it turned out I was full of sh**

31. I Thought I Had an STD but My Toothbrush Saved the Day

u/throwra92927261: I had sores on my tongue and thought I might have an STD. Went to my doctor super worried. Turns out my new toothbrush was firmer than I was used to, and I had brushed my tongue so hard with it that I caused damage. I was prescribed a softer toothbrush.

32. My Christian Dior Perfume Left Everyone in Stitches

u/msnovtue: Not too bad, but a perfect example of how my life tends to go. I had just bought a new perfume and put some on in the morning. By mid-day, though, my neck was red, puffy, & itchy.

Home/OTC stuff wasn’t doing anything, so I headed to the college infirmary. I gave a nurse the details before the doctor came in. She then asked, “And what perfume was it?” I responded, “It’s by Christian Dior. It’s called mumble.”

The nurse then asked again, “What was it?” I replied, “Mumble.” “I’m sorry, dear, but I didn’t quite catch that,” the nurse repeated. At this point, I was exhausted from explaining, and I just said, “It’s called ‘Poison’ by Christian Dior.”

I then looked over at her, and she had this look on her face as if she was trying to hold her laughter. I then told her, “Go ahead, laugh. I would be if I were you.” She did grin pretty widely, and there was a bit of a giggle when she told the doctor.

33. I Didn’t Know I Had Allergies

u/Quietcatslikemusic: I easily get eye infections, so the first sign of something being wrong, I usually take note. My parents had just moved to a new home and invited me to spend some time there and help them unpack.

My eyes were super sensitive, and I was basically in a state of crying; tears were running down my face with no effort from me whatsoever. After a day or so, I told my dad, hey, something strange is happening, and my eyes won’t stop leaking tears.

So he recommended that I go to the eye doctor in case of a major problem. I was wiping my face every 30 seconds. I had never experienced anything like that, and it was so consistent.

I was convinced it was a cry for help; my eyes warned me something was wrong. When I got to the hospital, the doctor paid attention as I explained my problem. Once I was done, he looked at my eyes and said, “You have allergies.”

34. How an Xbox Soccer Game Led to a Broken Wrist

u/Vampryssa: I have to explain how playing soccer on the Xbox Connect years ago caused me to break my wrist. I’m very clumsy due to my epilepsy (that we found out years later), and when I tried to kick, I fell backward and used the palm of my hand to cushion the fall. The doctor sat in awe at how I managed that.

35. She Meant I Hold My Breath, I Heard Something Else…

u/cartron3000: I went to the doctor for an x-ray on my back. I hear the woman working the machine instruct me to “Hold my breasts” as her hand is hovering over the button.

Horrified, I grabbed both my boobs in absolute panic, not understanding what the X-ray machine could do to them. Then I hear laughter, followed by “No, sweetie! Your breath! Your breath!” I am so stupid.

36. My Condition Turned into a Case Study

u/brokenjill: I drove 26 hours straight, moving from Florida to Boston. Apparently, all that sitting can cause an internal hemorrhoid. After going to the toilet, I noticed it was filled with so much blood. That’s when I freaked out and went to the ER. After being roomed, a young doctor comes in and does a rectal examination, and there’s more blood.

She then goes to get the chief resident, who looks in my butt and decides to get the attending, who then decides it is a great learning opportunity for all the medical students. About 12 people my age are staring into my bloody butt. I was embarrassed.

37. He Confirmed I Had a Yeast Infection in the Strangest Way!

u/seriously_stopit: I went to the doctor because I had a yeast infection. My doctor, who is a female, wasn’t there that day, so they rescheduled me with another one, an old man with a thick mustache.

He did the swab thing while I was spread open in front of him, and instead of just sending it to the lab, he took a big whiff of it and said, “Yes, I think it is a yeast infection.”

38. This Was a Blunder

u/Wadek: I went to my OBGYN for the annual checkup many years ago. I had to fill out the sexual history bit, and there was a question asking how many new sex partners I’d had in the past three years.

Remembering my slightly younger, more torrid days, I thought a bit and put down a number that’s a little higher than I wish it were. But there’s no use in lying to your doctor because they don’t care. We get to discussing things, and she’s going through my chart and just stops.

Suddenly, the questions turn to, “Have things been… well? Any incidents or anything you should report? Is your partner treating you well? Are other people?” I was confused until she ended it with, “Well, I’m going to recommend you get tested for STIs this month, and I wanna give you a high five.”

I misread the form, and you’re supposed to list all your new partners from the past three months. She thought I was just being coy about some gangbang/orgy. I thought my face was going to burn off from embarrassment.

39. A Childhood Game Led to a Doctor’s Visit

u/TheLighterDr: I had a coconut stuck in my nose once. We had this board game called Monkeys & Coconuts. It had lima bean-sized plastic coconuts, and I stuck one in my nose.

My mom could not get it out, so we went to the doctor. I was so scared when we got there it came out because of my crying and runny nose. Forty-five years later, I still have to hear about it.

40. The Unintended Eavesdropping during OB/GYN Session

u/PvP_Noob: I went with my wife to the OB/GYN for a prenatal visit for our first child. This was my first time at one. While waiting in the lobby to get called back, a white woman comes in with short shorts and a tramp stamp.

She gets called back simultaneously and escorted to the room next to ours. The nurse does the usual vitals and questions bit, then goes to leave and has my wife put on one of those paper dresses. She informs us the doctor will be in momentarily.

My wife’s paper dress had more soundproofing quality than the walls. We can hear the doctor talking to the young woman in the room next to us through the wall, “Wow….. that certainly is a foul odor!”

41. The Creepy Crawler Surprise

u/veximos: I was having trouble hearing out of my left ear, but I’m stubborn and didn’t go to the doctor for a week or so. After visiting the doctor, he said I needed to get it washed out, and when the blockage came out, it was revealed there was a dead spider in my ear.

42. The Gynecologist’s Unexpected Comment during a Pelvic Exam

u/dyoonhee: My friend went to the gynecologist for a pelvic exam, and the doctor was a big black guy who lubed up and, right before starting the exam, said, ”Sorry, I have really big hands.”

43. Strange smell

Deleted user: My husband started to smell really bad… I mean, REEK. I made an appointment for him with the urologist and decided to go with him for support. He went into the doctor’s office and the doctor closed the door.

Five minutes later, the doctor comes out and his face turns red when he sees me.Doc (barely holding back laughter): You might want to go in and see for yourself.

Me: ‘Doctor, what’s going on? Why are you laughing?’Then my husband comes out. He: Honey… I’m not sure how to say this… But I’ve been cheating on you.”

His words hit me like a freight train, and I felt my heart shatter into pieces. I looked at him, searching for any sign of the man I thought I knew, but all I saw was a stranger. The doctor, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly excused himself, leaving us in an awkward, painful silence.

I stood there, devastated, as the truth of his infidelity and the reason behind his sudden change in odor sank in.

In the healthcare industry, where vulnerability meets professionalism, tales of unexpected and amusing encounters during doctor’s visits serve as a testament to the people’s experiences. These stories remind us that even in the midst of discomfort, laughter and unexpected moments can emerge, turning appointments into unforgettable stories.